Santa returns to the mall. How do you keep your kids, jolly old elf safe during visits?
Toy cars are at the top of Jace Kimball’s Christmas list. But on Nov. 24 at South Hill Mall, the 2-year-old was asking for something else: social distancing from Santa Claus.
The 2-year-old screamed and cried as he tried to wiggle out of Saint Nick’s arms.
“Tell Santa about the Hot Wheels,” mother Heather Kimball encouraged Jace.
“I don’t want to!” the youngster screamed through tears, putting an end to the discussion.
“He did fine last year because they didn’t sit with Santa,” Kimball said.
It was beginning to look a lot like Christmas in the mall this week — the old fashioned kind before the masks and the vaccinations and the quarantines.
As children sat on Santa’s lap, they removed their masks to pose for photos.
If the bearded man in the red suit went by another name, he wasn’t revealing it to a prying journalist. He was quick to point out he was fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Being able to sit with children and the occasional adult made him jolly, he said.
“I wish I could have been closer to the kids,” South Hill Santa said of last year’s holiday season. “I like to be involved. Make the kids happy.”
As teary-eyed Jace retreated into his mother’s arms, sister Zoey, 6, sat in rapt attention next to Saint Nick. The pair discussed the merits of various toys and their 2,000-year age difference.
Like other families, the Kimballs arrived photo-ready from their Eatonville home. Every few minutes, a new smartly dressed family appeared near Santa’s towering Christmas tree outside Macy’s. Girls wore green, velvet dresses and candy-striped tops. Little boys sported vests and bow ties.
Most made appointments using the mall’s website. It cuts down on waiting times and reduces lines.
Lap sitters, both child and adult, are given the option of removing masks while photos are taken. Santa said he usually doesn’t wear one but he has a mask handy in a pocket if requested. Masks are required to be worn inside the mall.
It was 16-month-old Solomia Hrechyn’s first opportunity to sit in Santa’s lap Nov. 24. Mother Tatiana brought the Puyallup youngster to have photos made for two sets of grandparents in Ukraine. Neither have been able to travel to the United States to visit their granddaughter due to COVID-19 restrictions.
Solomia is too young for the vaccine. Children must be 5 years or older to receive it.
This Christmas doesn’t feel much different for Hrechyn, she said. She provides care to elderly patients and has been working amid strict COVID-19 precautions during the pandemic.
South Hill Mall media manager Jennifer Vandeventer confirmed Santa Claus and his staff are all vaccinated.
“He will play into whatever comfort level,” she said of Santa, masks and social distancing. “If you still want to wear a mask (in a photo), that’s fine, too.”
Vandeventer called the relaxed precautions a step in the right direction.
“We all feel a little bit more normal while still safe,” she said.
Hope Harrigill brought her four kids from Renton for a photo shoot at South Hill Mall. None of her kids, ages 7, 5, 2and 1, are vaccinated, but she wasn’t concerned.
The family broke tradition and skipped the mall Santa experience in 2020. She was happy to be back.
“I love being able to bring the kids here,” Harrigill said. “It’s not something that I grew up doing.”
Keeping Santa and his elves safe
Santa Claus is making appearances all across the South Sound this season, but access to the bearded one varies.
Saint Nick made only a virtual appearance at Mary Bridge Children’s Festival of Trees tree lighting on Sunday.
Children might have questions about why they can’t get close to Santa and other precautions. The News Tribune asked a local doctor for advice on keeping both Santa and his fans safe during the pandemic.
“Santa is known for his old age, and also his generous belly, both of which have a higher risk profile with COVID,” said Dr. Michael Alston, a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente in Tacoma.
“Santa is vaccinated, but we don’t have any vaccines currently authorized for the reindeer or the elves,” Alston continued. “So, it’s up to us to help keep everyone at the North Pole safe.”
Currently, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has authorized vaccinations for everyone age 5 and older. Alston encourages eligible children and adults to get vaccinated against COVID-19. In addition, influenza vaccines are available for anyone 6 months or older.
Alston liked the South Hill Mall’s appointment system for Santa photos. It helps to reduce lines and keeps exposure down. He also encouraged people to maintain social distancing, patronize outdoor or well ventilated venues and stay home if anyone in a family or group is ill.
He also would like families to wear masks as much as possible when in public.
“If families are going to make that choice to remove the mask for photos, they should really try and minimize the time without the mask,” Alston said. “Keep it on until you’re in Santa’s lap. But, I would always recommend that people leave their mask on.”
Alston also encouraged families to delay traveling until everyone is fully vaccinated. That won’t occur until mid-December for young children at the vanguard of COVID vaccinations. Instead of distant travel, take advantage of activities closer to home, he said, such as Zoolights at Point Defiance Zoo & Aquarium.
